Measuring and dispensing container



May 17, 1932. B M. OSWELL MEASURING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed NOV. 21, 1930 Patented May 17, 1932 PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN M. OSW'ELL, OI ANGELES, CALIFORNIA MEASURING- AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Application filed November 21, 1930. Serial No. 487,180.

My invention relates to a measurin and dispensing container that is particular y deslgned for use on dining tablesand counters for the convenient measurin and dispens- 6 ing predetermined amounts sugar or other pulverized orgranular substances and my present invention is an improvement upon a similardevice that forms the subject matter of m co-pending .application for U. S. Letters atent filed June 12, 1930, Serial No.

The principal objects of my invention are, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the measuring and dispensing container disclosed in my aforesaid conding patent a plication as well as other orms of similar evices, further, to provide an improved form of spout through which 1 the contents of the container are discharged ,go and to provide relatively simple, inexpensive and convenient means for securing said spout to the cover of the container and further, to provide said spout with a hinged cover that opens and closes by gravity andwhich cover a ords complete protection for the contents of the container and prevents the ingress of dust, insects and thelike and consequently preventing contamination of the contents of the container.

.Furtherobjects of my invention are, to provide a measuring cup that is detachably connected to the discharge spout and which is effective in measuring and dispensing predetermined amounts of pulverized granular as material from the container and further, to

provide a measuring and dispensing container of the character referred to that may be readily cleaned and thereby maintained in a sanitary condition and the use of which measuring and dispensing container will be effective in eliminating unintentional excessive use and waste of the'granular substance that is dispensed or discharged from the container.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement-of parts that will hereinafter be more fully decompanying drawings in which: n

scribed and claimed and illustratedin the ac- Fig. 1 is a top plan viewof a cap or cover that is equipped with my improved measuring'and dispensing device.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showin the cover and dispensing device positione on a container forsugar or other granular substance.

Fig. 3 is a view lookingagainst the underside of the cover with the measuring cup detached therefrom.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section taken on the, line H of Fig. 1. e

Fig. 5 is a cross section similar to Fig. 4 and showing a modified form of the spout attaching means. 65

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the measuring cup that is utilized in connection with the spout.

Fi 7 i is a cross section showing a modified arm of the connection between the measuring cup and the discharge spout.

Fig. 8 is a 'plan view of the gravity cover that closes the upper end of-the' discharge spout.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention, 10 designates a cap or cover preferably pressed from sheet metal, in the form of a low truncated cone and provided with a depending marginal flange 11, in which is pressed a thread that engages an external thread on the upper end of a jar or container 12. This jar or con-' tainer is preferably formed. of glass, porcelain or the like and may be of any convenient 35 size and shape.

- Formed in the inclined wall of the cap or cover 10 to one side of the center thereof, is an opening for a short tubular spout 13, preferably formed of metal and having its intermediate portion pressed outwardl to form a bead or flange 14, 'which whent e spout is applied to the cap rests directly ontop of the wall of the ea or cover. A plate 15 0 metal is positioned against the underside of theca'p'or cover and one end of this platev is provided. with an gope-"nin' for the reception of that portionof'the tu ular 1 spout 13, that projects-downwardly through i-- I e the Padi l -l d P Q transverse openin of the tube 13 is pressed outwardly to form a flange 16 that engages the underface of the pllate and clamps the same to the wall of t e ca The inner portion of the plate 15 is bent downwardly away from the wall of cap 10, thereby providing a shallow chamber 17, between the inner portion of said plate and the cap and the extreme inner end of plate 15 is bent upwardly to form a narrow hp 18that serves as an end wall for the chamber 17 and the upper edge of thislip engages the'undersurface of the flat central portion of the cap or cover 10. 1

The wall of cap 10 is slotted to form a 19 between the spout 13 and the flat centra portion of the ca and, the

' metal in the wall of the ca imme iately in with its outer portion overlying end thereof, are short outwardly front of this openin 19 is ent downwar ly to form a short horizontall dis osed lip 20 that occupies a plane paralle wit and slightly below the plane occupied by the flat central portion'of caplO.

The inner or rear ortion' of a tongueshaped cover 21 exten through slot 19 and formed on the sides of said cover at the rear rojectin pintles 22, which occupy the cham erfl an 36 which engage beneath the cover late 10 at the ends of said chamber, thereby orming an axis on which the cover swings.

The upper end of tube 13 occupies a hori'-.

zontal p ane which is coincident with the.

plane occupied by the upper surface of lip .20

and when the container 12 rests on a table or other fiat surface, cover 21 occu ies a horizontal position, as illustrated in g. 2, with its rear portion resting on top of 20 and end of tube 13 and effectually closing the passageway therethrough.

Thus while the dispensin container is not r end of spout 13 and prevents dust, moisture 'and insects fromentering the container through the spout.

The measuring device forming a part of mg invention, comprises a small cup 23, w ich ma be ressed from suitable sheet metal,sai cup aving a predetermined capacity, for instance, one teaspoonful, and projecting upwardly and outwardly from one side of said cup is a tubular member 24 that is split lengthwise along its upper portion so as to form a slot 25.

' "The metal'from which the cup and tubular member are formed is resilient to a certain degree and thus the upper end of the tubular member-24 may be contracted slightl so as to permit said upper end to be inserte 'n the tubular spout 13 and when the contracted portion ofthe inserted member expands as a result of the resiliency of the metal the cup will-be firmly secured to'the cap 10 with its open upper end positioned a slight distance below the central portion of the wall of cap In the use of my improved measuring and dispensing containerthe jar or bowl 10 is manually engaged and inverted and in so doing the cover 21 will swing away from the upper end ofspout 13 and the suger or other granular substance within the cup 23 and ower portion of tubular member 24 will discharge through said tubular member and the spout 13. As the jar is thus inverted the body of granular substance within the jar will by gravity pass to the lower portion thereof thereby completely imbedding the cuff a portion of the granular substance w' enter said cup and likewise a portion will fill the space between 'the upper edge of the cu and the adjacent wall of the cap 10.

ile the bowl or jar is inverted and after the pulverized material has discharged from the cup, it is impossible for any more material to discharge from the container owing to the construction of the cup and the tubular iliaember 24 that leadsto the discharge spout lifter having been inverted to effect a discharge of a predetermined a ount of sugar' or ,the like, the container is turn d to its normalupright position, whereu on the bod of sugar or other materia'l-withm'the contalner w by gravity pass to the lower portion of 7 said container and that portion of the sugar between the upper edge of cup 23'and the top 10 will, bygravity, pass into said cup, to be discharged therefrom on the subsequent inversion of the container.

As the container is turned back to its normal upright position, the cover 21 will by avity swing into closed position on top of the tubular ut 13.

In Fig. 5, I ave illustrated a modified form of the discharge spout that leads from the cap or cover 10 and in this construction I a shorttube 26 is inserted throeufh an openin in the cover 10 and secur so der.

A plate 27 that corresponds to the plate 15,

has one end perforated and pressed onto the Y thereto by vides a housing or the hinged inner end of the discharge spout cover plate 21".

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 7, the upper end of the tube 24 that projects upwar y from cup 23, is provided on opposite sides with indented portions 28' and which, when the end of said member 24' is inserted in the lower portion of the material discharge spout 13, receive studs 29 that are formed by pressing the wall of the discharge spout mwardly to a slight degree.

This construction provides. efiicie'nt means a for detachably connecting the cup to thecap or'cover 10. a

Thus it be eeen-th 't Ihave'provided a.

' sive of manufacture, capable of being rea measuring and dispensing container that is relatively simple in construction, illexlgilll- Y cleansed so as to be maintained in a sanitary condition and the construction of the container being such that only a predetermined quantity of the granular substance within the container can be dischar ed at one operation.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size form and construction of the various parts of my improved measuring-and dispens- 1ng container may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a measuring and dispensing container, a cap adapted to be removably positioned on a receptacle, a discharge spout projectin from said cap, a measunngcup positione beneath the central portion of said cap, a tubular member pro ecting upwardly from one side of said cup and the upper portion of which tubular member is slotted lengthwise and removably seated in the lower portion of said discharge spout.

2. In a measuring and dispensing container, a cap adapted to be removably positioned upon a container, a discharge spout projecting from said cap, said cap being slotted ad-,

ca removably positioned on said container, 9. ischarge out projecting from said cap and a measuring cup positioned beneath the central portion ofsaid cap and having a longitudinally slotted tubular portion removably seated in said discharge spout;

In testimon whereof I afiix my si ature.

ENJAMIN M. OS LL.

jacent to said discharge spout, a cover plate having its inner portion projecting through said slot and hinged to said cap, the outer portion of which cover plate normally closes the upper end of the discharge spout and a plate arranged on the underside of the cap and forming a housing for that portion of the cover plate that projects through the slot in the cap.

3. In a measuring and dispensing container, a cap adapted to be removably positioned upon a container, a discharge spout projecting from said cap, said cap being slotted adjacent to said discharge spout, a cover plate having its inner portion projecting through said slot and hinged to said cap, the outer portion of which cover plate normally closes the upper end of the discharge spout, a plate arranged on the underside of the cap and forming a housing for that portion of the cover plate that projects through, the slot in the cap, a measuring cup positioned beneath the central portionof said cap and a tubular member projecting upwardly from one side of said cup and having its upper end portion removably seated in the lower portion of said discharge spout,

4. In a measuring and dispensing container, a measuring cup, a tubular member extending upwardly and outwardly from one 1 

